The Pregnancy Files
by MusicLover315
Summary: As if being pregnant wasn't already hard enough, try living with a bunch of weird, quirky superheroes in the process. Although Cadence can admit that it wasn't too bad. While they may be an odd bunch, they were the closest thing to family she ever had... Steve x OC
1. Chapter 1: Stuck with Cravings

**Guys... I'M BACK!**

 **Wahh, I know it's been so long since I've posted anything, and for that I apologize :( But, here I am now! Back at ya with another Avengers Fanfic! This idea honestly came to me because I realized that there aren't really too many OC pregnancy fics out there. Because of that, I ended up contemplating my life and my time in the fanfic community and decided that if I wanted to see an OC pregnancy fanfic, then I was going to have to write one myself!**

 **So here I am!**

 **Honestly, it's funny because I have started writing SOOO many fanfic for a broad variety of different shows/movies/anime, yet this one was just the easiest to write for me so that's what I've been working on when I have the free time. Any of you who have read my previous fics know that I only post things once I complete them, hence the reason it takes me so damn long to post a story. This one is an exception, however. I am almost done, I have everything except the last couple chapters written. I just couldn't wait to share it with you. It is literally 12:30 in the morning as I post this. That is how excited I am to share it with you guys! :D**

 **So, with that being said: I really hope you enjoy it! I'll be posting the second chapter tomorrow- or, well today... (Friday) and from there, I will be updating every Friday. After this story, I think I might have one or two one-shots to post, but other than that, I am going to TRY to work on a ROTG story I started but then randomly stopped half way through the year last year. I honestly don't know why. Probably because I have a problem with starting to write things but then never finishing them...**

 **Anywho, on with the story!**

 **DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN AVENGERS OR ANYTHING MARVEL! So please Marvel, don't sue me 0.0**

* * *

 **7 Months Pregnant…**

Cadence sighed.

She turned over the piece of thick construction paper in front of her and looked at it thoughtfully, turning it again.

Why wasn't this working?

She had tried just about everything she could possibly think of, but nothing seemed to work. No matter how hard she tried, she wasn't getting the results she wanted which annoyed her to no end.

She sighed again.

' _Last time I ever try something off of Pinterest,_ ' she thought to herself bitterly. She violently crumpled up the piece of construction paper and tossed it into the black trash bag sitting beside her.

' _Another one bites the dust_.'

All she wanted was some nice decorations for the baby's nursery. After not seeing anything she particularly liked in stores, Cadence had the bright idea of trying to DIY the room's décor herself. After all, what better way to decorate her child's room than with items handcrafted by her own two hands?

Yeah, turns out that idea was much better in theory.

"Stupid internet with your stupid impossible DIY's," Cadence muttered to herself in annoyance as she began to pick up all the loose paper that managed to spread itself around her while she was cutting the thick sheets of construction paper, ranging from various shades of blue.

They may not have known the baby's gender yet, but that didn't stop Cadence from designing the room in the stereotypical "boy" color.

She liked blue dammit, and if she wanted to make her child's room blue, then she was going to make her child's room blue. Whoever said that blue was a boy's color was a complete idiot. Blue is her favorite color, and she's a girl. Blue was a beautiful color and didn't deserve to be stereotyped towards males only. There's nothing wrong with being female and liking the color blue.

She sighed once more.

' _I'm hungry_ ,' she thought to herself. Suddenly, all of the things she had been craving for the past couple of weeks popped into her head and she could already feel herself drooling at the thought of it.

It was decided right then and there that she was going out for food.

After she was done cleaning up the small space around her, Cadence moved to stand up only to realize that she had a problem.

She couldn't.

While it was true that she wasn't overdue and ready to burst or anything, she was seven months along.

Translation: she was huge. She felt bigger than a beached whale at this point. She was actually dreading getting any bigger than she already was. She knew she still had two to three months left, so she could only assume she was going to grow even larger.

This time, she groaned at the thought.

Knowing that nobody else was there to help her at the moment, Cadence tried her hardest to get herself onto her feet. Hell, if she could get herself onto her knees she would be happy at this point. However, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't manage to get herself up on her own.

With that being said, there was only one thing left for her to do if she didn't want to be stuck on the floor until Steve got home.

' _Ugh, this is going to be so embarrassing…"_

"Jarvis?" she called out.

A few seconds later, a voice responded.

"Yes Mrs. Rogers?"

"Um," she stammered out, dreading having to stoop to this. Deciding to go with the person on the floor above hers, she continued, "Can you tell me if Bruce is home please?"

A few seconds went by before she got a response, "Mr. Banner has gone out to lunch with Mr. Stark."

Cadence huffed in frustration, "Can you tell me who is home then?"

"Mr. Barnes seems to have just returned from his run with Mr. Wilson. Is something wrong miss? If there are any issues, I can contact Mr. Rogers for you."

Cadence shook her head, "No, that won't be necessary, but thank you Jarvis. Can you call Bucky up here though? I need a bit of help."

"Right away Mrs. Rogers."

Cadence wanted to bang her head in a wall.

She hated being pregnant sometimes. Sure, the outcome would be great, but getting there was almost hellish with so many new things to get used to. Sometimes she just felt overwhelmed with how frustrated she'd become.

Usually, Steve was there and ready to help her through each and every one of those situations, but unfortunately for her, he had just taken a mission and wouldn't be back for a week or so. It wasn't too dangerous of a mission, so she didn't worry that much. He was still away, however, and it were moments like these that she wished he was home with her.

In the few minutes that she waited for Bucky to come and help her, Cadence brushed the few tears that managed to escape from her eyes away from her face.

' _Damn these annoying pregnancy hormones_ ,' she thought to herself, chuckling at how something as insignificant as getting stuck on the floor had made her start to cry.

Suddenly, the door to the nursery was swung open, leaving a very panicked looking Bucky standing on the other side of it. It took less than a few seconds for him to scope out the entire room before his eyes fell on Cadence, who was lying flat on her back in the middle of the room.

"I need some help," she said in embarrassment, sniffling a bit at the end.

Bucky was beside her faster than she could blink.

"What's wrong? Did something happen? Are you hurt? Is it the baby?"

All of these questions left Cadence grinning in amusement. Ever since Bucky had moved into the Avengers Tower, he and Cadence have gotten along swimmingly. It all started with Steve wanting his best friend to meet his girlfriend and from there, blossomed into a beautiful friendship. Now, Bucky is like the brother she never had. She knew she could go to him with anything, and he knew that he not only had Steve to go to when he had a bad dream or a relapse, but Cadence as well.

And Steve was more than happy that they had become so close.

It wasn't uncommon to see the three of them up in the entertainment room: Steve sitting on the couch with one arm wrapped around Cadence and Bucky on the floor propped up against the front of the couch as they all watched movies that Cadence usually recommended.

They were like the three musketeers and had been that way for the past few years.

So as soon as Cadence found out she was pregnant, not only did she have an overprotective Steve on her hands, but an overprotective Bucky as well. He wasn't as bad as Steve, but his protective side definitely showed through over the past seven months.

Cadence didn't mind though. To be honest, she found it cute how often the two super soldiers worried over her. It let her know that she had people that cared about her and her unborn child.

Cadence quickly brushed his worries aside with a flick of the hand, "I'm fine. I'm just kind of stuck."

Bucky looked at her in confusion before realizing what she meant.

"You can't get up, can you?"

Cadence frowned, "You know, I really don't like that annoying little smirk of yours."

With a raised brow, Bucky's smirk widened, "Sorry, but I can't just ignore how amusing this situation is."

Cadence rolled her eyes, "Yeah, yeah. Can you just help me up please? Every moment lying here just makes me feel more and more like a beached whale."

Bucky let out a soft chuckle before offering Cadence his hand. She gratefully accepted, more than happy when he carefully pulled her up and onto her feet.

After balancing herself out, Cadence reached over to grab the trash bag and her phone that sat right next to it.

"Thank you Bucky," she said, blushing lightly in embarrassment.

"No problem Cade. Anything else you need?"

"Actually…"

Bucky raised a questioning brow, "Yes?"

"I'm hungry."

"And…" he asked, not seeing what the problem was.

"I'm also tired. And my feet hurt," she admitted.

Bucky sighed.

"Chinese or Thai?" he asked, already knowing where this was going.

"Thai please!" she smiled, all previous signs of frustration completely wiped from her features.

Bucky shook his head and rolled his eyes as he turned for the door, "I'll be back."

"Thank you Bucky!" he heard from behind him as he made his way down the hallway to the elevator, on his way to go buy his very pregnant friend some Thai food to satisfy her craving.

After all, he and just about every other Avenger living in the tower knew not to mess with Cadence's cravings.


	2. Chapter 2: Pained Cramps

**Heya!**

 **So, as I promised, I'm posting this chapter right after the last one. From now on, I will be posting once, maybe twice, a week. I just always like posting the first two chapters one after another because I know how much it sucks to just be left of with one chapter of a story.**

 **It bites.**

 **But anyways, this is definitely a shorter fluffy Steve x OC chapter :) This whole story is really a drabbleish series, but it's not a bunch of one-shots that don't connect (obviously). It's just a more light-hearted type of story. Nothing dramatic, just fluff and humor really. I really hope you guys are enjoying it so far and I hope you continue to enjoy it as it continues updating.**

 **Real quick before we get into the next chapter, I'd like to say thank you to everybody who favorites, followed, and left me such wonderful reviews! Also, I'm always looking for ideas of OC stories and/or one-shots to write for Avengers, so if you guys have any ideas at all, let me know and maybe I'll write them :D**

 **Hope you enjoy the chapter!**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own Avengers or anything MARVEL!**

* * *

 **7 and a Half Months Pregnant...**

Steve was violently torn from his sleep by the sound of a loud whimpering.

It took his sleep disheveled brain a few seconds to recognize the sound, but as soon as he was able to process it, his eyes snapped open and he instantly became alert.

Looking over to his side, Steve felt panic begin to set in when he saw his wife lying on her back, her face scrunched up in pain as soft moans of discomfort escaped her mouth.

Fearing for the worst, Steve hurriedly asked, "Cadence, what's wrong?"

He reached over in the bed and gently pushed back the hair that clung to her face with sweat, watching as her eyes opened into drowsy slits. His panic only seemed to double when she clenched her eyes shut once again with a slight hiss. She shook her head frantically before reaching out for Steve's hand to grab onto.

He looked at Cadence in confusion, "What's wrong? What do you need?"

"H-help me u-u-up," she stuttered out in between painful gasps of breath. Steve didn't need to be told twice. He quickly went into action, grabbing her outstretched hand and gently pulling her up while also keeping a hold of her back for support.

Steve watched Cadence throw her legs over the side of the bed. She gripped the sheets in a death grip and he heard her breathing become slightly labored.

' _What's going on?_ ' Steve asked himself repeatedly in his head. ' _She can't be going into labor, can she? She's only seven months. That can't be good for the baby._ '

Steve slid out of the bed and moved in front of Cadence, squatting down in front of her.

"Cadence, you need to tell me what's wrong so I can help you. Is it something with the baby?"

She shook her head "no".

Steve tilted his head in confusion, "Then what is it?"

Cadence took a deep breath, "My legs."

Steve turned his attention the slim, yet toned limbs she was referring to.

"Your legs? What's wrong with your legs?"

"My calves," she said, her breathing becoming slightly more controlled, "They're cramping really bad. It hurts a lot."

Steve felt a good load of his worries disappear, however, some remained after hearing his wife's problem.

"Is there anything I can do?" he immediately asked, looking for any possible way that he could help. He really hated seeing Cadence in pain, whether it be emotional or physical.

"Rub them please," she whispered, exhaustion showing clear in her voice.

Steve's face softened. He nodded, "Okay, why don't you lay on your side and relax as best as you can?"

Cadence nodded, and with the help of Steve, shifted on the bed until she was lying on her side cuddling a pillow to her chest. Steve chuckled at the adorable sight before moving to rub his beautiful dame's legs for her.

That's how they sat for the next hour. Cadence cuddling with a pillow while Steve carefully rubbed her legs out to alleviate the pain that she was feeling.

"Thank you Steve," she whispered drowsily.

Steve smiled, "Any time Cade. Is it feeling better?"

"Mmhm," she mumbled. She sounded much more relaxed than she had when he had woken up, and for that, Steve was grateful. He'd been gone on his last mission before maternity leave a couple of weeks ago and just returned home yesterday evening. This was the first night back home with his pregnant wife, and he couldn't help but wonder if this cramping issue had been a new development in her pregnancy while he was gone.

If it was, Steve was home now so she wouldn't be stuck getting through the pain alone anymore. From what he could tell, whatever she was experiencing didn't look dangerous or life-threatening, but that doesn't mean that it didn't look like it hurt.

Because the way she was clutching the sheets just thirty minutes ago would say otherwise.

"Can you lay down with me now, Steve? My legs are better."

Nodding, Steve crawled up the bed until he was behind Cadence. Pushing the blankets back, he pulled them out from underneath Cadence and settled down next to her before he covered the both of them with the thick duvet.

Steve rested his head on her pillow and wrapped his arm around her waist, gently pulling himself up to her back until there was no space left between them.

Once comfortable with their position, Steve rested his large hand on Cadence's swollen stomach, rubbing it gently in soothing patterns.

He couldn't help but feel like the luckiest man in the world when moments like these came along. He never would have thought all those years ago when he was tagging along with Bucky on dates or even after he got out of the ice and struggled to integrate himself back into society, that he would ever end up where he was now: surrounded by his close friends with a beautiful wife and a child on the way. He went through so much and was sad to think that there was ever a point where he had doubted his purpose and existence.

It was moments like these that reminded him how much all the struggle had been worth it in the end. It was moments like these that he would cherish for the rest of his life.

"Goodnight Cadence," he whispered, giving her a light peck on the cheek before burying his face into her neck.

"Night Steve," she yawned, slowly fading back to sleep, "I love you."

Steve smiled, his eyes closing in comfort and content, "I love you too."


	3. Chapter 3: Should Have Seen It Coming

**I know this is early, but hey, I didn't think I would have time to post tomorrow and figured you'd rather me post sooner rather than later.**

 **SO here I am!**

 **Chapter 3 is here and you guys can finally start getting a look at the other people in the tower. Not much else to say here except for I hope you all enjoy it!**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own Avengers or anything MARVEL!**

* * *

 **7 and a Half Months Pregnant...**

Cadence wore a tight expression as she stomped down the hallway towards the elevator.

Her day had started out on an okay note. Nothing bad, nothing good. Just average. Steve had left before she woke up to go on his morning run, so she had been left to her own devices for the morning. She didn't mind, however. She's just grateful that he's taking time off to be with her. Being pregnant was hard enough in itself. Being pregnant without having your respective partner there 90% of the time, however, made things a bit more difficult and stressful.

Cadence pressed the button and stepped into the elevator.

"Good morning Mrs. Rogers. Where would you like to go?" JARVIS' voice asked from one of the speakers above her.

"Where is everybody right now?" she asked, shifting to shake out the soreness in her feet.

"Mr. Stark, Mr. Rogers, and Dr. Banner are in the penthouse; Mr. Barton and Ms. Romanoff are out on a mission; and Mr. Odinson shouldn't be arriving for another couple of months. I believe Mr. Rogers is currently making breakfast for you. Would you like to go the penthouse then?"

"Yes, please. Thank you JARVIS."

"It's my pleasure Mrs. Rogers."

It took less than ten seconds for the elevator to reach its destination. Cadence stepped off of the elevator, throwing another quick "thank you" over her shoulder on the way out, and made her way over to the kitchen.

At the sound of her waddling footsteps, Bruce looked up from the paperwork he was reading and gave her a welcoming smile before going back to work. Tony, on the other hand, took her presence as an excuse to push his current work aside as he stood to greet her.

"Cadence! Just the woman I wanted to see," he smiled widely as he made his way over to her side. He gently threw an arm over her shoulder to pull her into a friendly side-hug.

Cadence rolled her eyes, "Oh please, you're just looking for a reason to procrastinate."

Tony threw a hand over his chest and let out a dramatic gasp, "Your words cut my like knives my dear Cadence!"

"Mhm, I bet," she said. Pulling his arm off of her shoulder, she could practically feel Tony's sarcastic smile as she made her way over to Steve, who was standing over the stove with his eyes turned to the food he was cooking.

"Mm, are those eggs for me?" she asked, wrapping her arms around his bicep. She leaned her head on his shoulder and took a whiff of the food. "They smell really good."

Steve looked at her with a smile. He leaned down and placed a soft kiss on her forehead, "Yes they're for you. I was going to bring them down to you, but it looks like you beat me to it. I'm surprised you're up this early. You usually don't wake up for another hour or so."

"I know," she said, "I didn't want to wake up either, trust me."

Steve gave her a confused look, "Then why did you?"

"I can answer that," Tony piped up from the table. "She just couldn't resist coming to see me face to face. I tend to have that effect on women Capsicle. I thought you'd come to understand this by now."

Ignoring Tony's remark, Cadence watched as her husband slid her eggs onto a plate and moved to put some bread in the toaster.

"Actually, it's because of you."

"Me?" Steve asked, also ignoring the crude man at the dining table. Everybody in the tower has come to accept Tony for what he was, so his comments didn't bother anybody anymore.

"Yes, you. Do you know how hard it is to have Captain America's child kicking around in your stomach. It's really been doing a number on my spine and my bladder, I'll tell you that for sure."

Steve furrowed his brows in concern, "Are you okay? It's not too bad is it?"

"Meh," she shrugged, "I would say you get used to it, but that'd be a lie. It's been happening for a month or so now, and it still hurts like a bitch."

Noticing the worried look on Steve's face, Cadence shook her head, "Don't worry. I'm not dying. I can get through it. No big deal."

Steve nodded. He grabbed the plate of food he'd made for Cadence and brought it over to the table with said woman following close behind.

Slowly and carefully, Cadence dropped into her seat and began eating.

"So Prego, how are things coming along? Any new developments?" Tony asked as he sipped his coffee. Cadence wouldn't be surprised if he had managed to slip a bit of liquor in there. She definitely wouldn't put it past him.

"What did I tell you about the nickname?" Cadence sent a small glare his way.

"You'll get over it. Sorry sweet cheeks, but nicknames are my thing and I refuse to give them up for your sake."

Bruce shook his head at Tony, not taking his eyes off of his work, while Steve just sighed. If it were anybody else, he might have gotten mad at the statement, but it was Tony so he didn't take it to heart.

Neither did Cadence as she just sighed and mumbled, "Whatever."

"You didn't answer my question Prego. Everything alright?"

It may seem hard to believe with the way he acts, but Tony can be quite caring when he wants to be. In fact, aside from Steve and Bucky, Tony has been the most on top of everything in terms of her pregnancy ever since Steve and she had announced the good news to the Avengers. He always makes it his duty to ask if everything is alright and running smoothly. Even if he attempts to cover up his concern with crude humor, Cadence sees past it every time.

She'd never admit it, but she's glad that Tony is there for her and she knows that Steve is too.

"I'm fine. The random 2 A.M. calf cramps have fortunately stopped. Although my feet have been getting really sore lately when I stand for too long, but the doctor said that's normal."

Tony nodded, "Good. I was getting kind of sick of hearing you complain about your calves anyways."

Cadence gave him her best poker face, "Thanks for the concern Tony."

"Any time Prego."

Everybody then slipped into a comfortable silence. Once Cadence finished her breakfast, she turned to face Steve. Noticing her sudden movement, Steve looked up with a questioning glance.

"Do you need anything Cade?"

Cadence remained silent for a moment.

"I don't think you'll want to do it."

"What is it?" he asked with a tilt of the head.

"Never mind," she dismissed him, turning to face the other direction.

"Cadence…"

"I know you don't like it."

"Just tell me Cadence. If you need help with something, I'll help you. Anything you need, I'm right here."

Cadence heard the sincerity in his voice as he said this. Puckering her lips apprehensively, she looked at Steve over her shoulder with big eyes.

"Are you sure?" she asked.

Steve smiled. He stood up and moved in front of her, kneeling down in between her legs.

"I'm positive."

Cadence smiled.

"So you'll paint my toe nails for me then?" she asked with the widest, most sly smirk she could muster.

Tony's chuckles rang out throughout the room, "Ha! Saw that one coming from a mile away."

"He's right," Cadence said at the despondent look that appeared on her husband's face. "I'm surprised you didn't catch on."

Cadence saw Bruce out of the corner of her eye as he tried holding back a smile. She smirked and turned her attention back to Steve with a knowing look in her eyes.

"So?"

He sighed dolefully, "Let's go."

"Yes!" she cheered in victory. "Thank you!"

Steve shook his head, yet he couldn't help the smile that wormed its way back onto his face.

"Anytime."

Once the couple had left the room, Tony looked at Bruce with a wide smirk on his face.

"He's so whipped."

This time, Bruce couldn't hold back his amused smile.

"Yep."


	4. Chapter 4: Just a Bunch of Kids

**I know I'm a little late!**

 **I swear!**

 **I'm sorry :(**

 **But I'm here now! Yeah, it's been a slightly chaotic weekend, but I'm back! Let me know in a review or PM or something if you'd just like me to post the next chapter today as well to make up for my tardiness, or if you'd like me to just post again on Friday as per usual.**

 **Anywho, not much to say here other than enjoy the chapter! This is definitely one of my favorite chapters, so I hope you enjoy is as well :D**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own Avengers or anything MARVEL!**

* * *

 **7 and a Half Months Pregnant…**

"You know, this is really nice. It's been a while since the two of us have gone out together," Cadence smiled as she looked over the racks of baby clothes for something she liked.

A small smirk appeared on Natasha's face, "I agree. S.H.I.E.L.D. is like an over-attached boyfriend so unfortunately, I rarely get too much time off."

Natasha had just gotten back from a mission with Clint a few days ago and was more than happy to tag along with Cadence to go baby shopping.

"And why am I here again?"

Both women turned to an extremely bored looking Clint following behind them like a lost dog in the large department store.

Natasha gave Clint a look. He rolled his eyes, muttering a quick "whatever" before going back to playing Candy Crush on his smart-phone.

"Sorry Clint, but Steve refuses to let me carry anything these days, so I needed somebody with a bit of muscle on them. I hope you don't mind too much," Cadence said. A smile broke out across her face as she spotted a Captain America onesie on one of the racks. Without so much as even a second thought, she grabbed one in every size available up until 11 months and threw them in her cart.

"Wait," Clint stopped, lifting his gaze from his phone, "why can't Nat just carry-"

"Clint."

At the sight of Natasha's glare, Clint let out a long sigh and let the rest of what he was about to say die on his tongue.

"So," Cadence said as they turned out of the clothing section and into the crib isle, "how was the last mission? Anything interesting happen?"

Natasha shook her head, "Not really. Same old, same old. How's everything been going back at the tower. It's been a couple of months since we've been there."

At this point, Clint gave up on the level he was on and decided to listen in on the conversation instead.

"Everything's been great! Nothing bad has happened, no aliens taking over the world, Steve is finally on maternity leave, Stark is as snarky as usual, and Bruce is, well, Bruce. Everything's been pretty normal as of lately."

Cadence was definitely not used to normal being that she's married to Captain America and lives with him and the rest of the Avengers in the Avengers Tower. However, as much as she was used to the crazy that was her life, she really did appreciate the simplicity that the last seven months have brought on. Crazy may be exciting, but Cadence really didn't need exciting right now. She was pregnant. That was more than enough excitement than she could hope for at the moment. She didn't want some strange creature from another planet coming and threatening her and her family right now. She just wanted this baby to be brought into the world in a safe, loving environment. Not in the midst of another war.

"Well, embrace it while you can, because I doubt the "normal" will last very long," Clint added with a smirk.

Cadence laughed, "Knowing the Avengers, I wouldn't be surprised."

"Has anybody heard from Thor recently?" Natasha asked.

"Yes, actually," Cadence said. "He is supposed to be visiting sometime in the next couple of weeks."

"That's nice," Natasha said. "Hopefully, we'll be here to see him. Clint and I haven't seen Thor in a good year and a half."

Cadence stopped with wide eyes, "Has it really been that long?"

Both Clint and Natasha nodded.

"Hmm, that sucks."

Clint rolled his eyes while Natasha smirked.

Suddenly, Cadence gasped, gaining the attention of both of her companions. Clint stiffened at the noise, unconsciously scoping out the area for any potential threats, while Natasha looked at Cadence with a tight, questioning look.

"What is it?"

Before Natasha had the chance to complete her question, however, Cadence had waddled off towards the other end of the isle.

"Look at this crib! Isn't it just beautiful?"

The two Avengers shared a look with each other and they both let out a small breath they didn't know they'd been holding.

Looking at the crib that had caught Cadence's attention, Clint squinted his eyes.

"It's a bit…"

"Bulky," Natasha finished for him.

The crib was about the same size as any other average crib. It was just a bit thicker and looked much heavier as well.

Clint felt nothing but dread as he could already see himself "volunteering" to carry the damned thing out of the store and into the tower.

"I don't care. I want it," was all Cadence said.

Natasha shrugged, "Alright, Clint?"

Clint sighed.

* * *

Steve wiped the sweat off his forehead with a towel and stepped off the elevator onto his floor. He had been at the gym for a good portion of the day, working up quite the sweat and was looking forward to a nice, warm shower to freshen himself up.

It took him no time at all, however, to hear the racket coming from the nursery. After hearing Cadence's voice, he decided to go see what she was up to.

He hadn't expected her to be back from shopping already, but she had always been a quick, efficient shopper. She never dilly-dallies and always seems to know what she's getting so she doesn't have to waste time looking.

Steve reached the door he was looking for and knocked lightly before turning the handle and peaking his head in.

The sight that he was met with had him forcing back laughter.

"Cade, what did you do to poor Clint?" he asked amusedly.

The woman in question turned quickly, smiling when she saw it was Steve. She quickly made her way over to him and moved to wrap her arms around him, but stopped abruptly once she noticed the state he was in.

Instead of a hug, she moved in to place a quick kiss on his lips.

She noticed the small pout on his face and just rolled her eyes.

"After you shower."

"You didn't answer my question," he said, pointing to Clint who was lying face-first on the floor, banging his head onto the hard-wood beneath him.

Cadence scoffed, "He's just being over-dramatic."

Clint immediately sat up, looking quite offended, "Over-dramatic? How am I being over-dramatic?!"

"Clint, you've been complaining about this for the past two hours! It's not that hard to figure out!"

"Oh yeah, well how about you try it then? Huh?!"

"I don't know if you've noticed or not, but I'm kind of pregnant! Trust me, if I could get down there and wipe the floor with you right now, I would!"

"Okay!" Steve shouted.

Clint and Cadence went quiet, giving Steve a surprised look. They hadn't expected him to raise his voice like that.

"What's going on?" he asked, hoping to resolve the issue at hand. Although knowing the childish nature of Clint and Cadence's relationship, he doubted he could be of any use in this situation.

"Clint keeps whining because he can't figure out how to put the crib together," Cadence said, rolling her eyes once again.

"These directions make no sense!" Clint exclaimed, waving the directions in the air in a fit of exasperation. "It says that I need pieces that I swear aren't in the bag!"

"Maybe you're just reading it wrong," Cadence said.

"Maybe you're just being a moody little-"

"Hey!"

Both adults looked at Steve again who had his gaze pinned on Clint.

"Enough," Steve said firmly.

Clint sighed. Looking at Cadence once again, he apologized.

"Sorry."

"Me too," she mumbled under her breath.

Steve shook his head. He would have probably been angrier with Clint for the "almost" insult, but he had grown used to the bickering between Clint and Cadence that came up whenever they were together. They were like a couple of ten-year-old siblings fighting over the last cookie in the cookie jar.

While it was quite stressful to listen to at first, Steve had learned to find the humor in it over the years.

"Now," Steve said, walking farther into the room, "why don't we just ask Stark to check it out?"

The room grew quiet.

"That… that's a good idea," said Cadence.

"Yeah," Clint agreed. "it is. Why didn't you think about that an hour ago?"

Cadence narrowed her eyes at the archer, "What the hell is that supposed to mean? Are you saying that this is my fault?"

And then they were off once again.

Steve sighed before slipping out of the room.

He gave up. Sometimes, it was just best to leave the two be. They should be done by the time he gets out of the shower anyways.

At least he hopes.

Just to be on the safe side, Steve asked JARVIS to see if Tony could come down and figure out what was wrong with the crib.

* * *

30 minutes later, Steve walked down the hall towards the nursery in a fresh pare of clothes.

Once he reached the room, he furrowed his brows at the odd silence he was met with.

"Cadence?" he asked. When he heard no reply, he opened the door only to find the room empty. Curious, Steve was about to turn around to go find his wife, when something in the corner of the room had caught his eye.

It was the crib.

With a smile on his face, Steve turned and headed towards the elevator, knowing exactly where Cadence had gone.

Once the elevator door had opened, Steve stepped out onto Clint's floor and made a bee-line for the game room.

"You suck! Just shoot his sorry ass already!" Steve heard Cadence shout from all the way down the hall.

"I am shooting! You're the one who keeps dying on me!"

"Well maybe if my team-mate didn't play like a freaking child, I wouldn't be dead!"

"Well maybe if my team-mate didn't have such a lousy shot, I wouldn't be forced into doing this."

"Di-did you just kill me? Again?!" Cadence gasped.

"You're damn Skippy I did!" Clint shouted, cursing under his breath.

Steve found himself laughing silently at the dialogue coming from inside the room. Deciding to let the two have some bonding time, Steve quietly turned around and went back to his floor with a smile on his face.

'It's hard to believe those two are adults sometimes,' he thought to himself as the sounds of bickering died out from behind him.


	5. Chapter 5: Stuck Once Again

**Wow guys, I was feeling really down today for some reason. Don't know why, but I was. However, re-reading this chapter to edit it and posting for this story again really brought up my spirits a bit. That's something I really love about Fanfiction. You don't have to be an amazing author-level writer to post what you want to post and express yourself through your imagination. Not only that, but it also gives anybody a chance to release all the stresses of life through their work and reading all the positive reviews you guys send in just adds to that feeling of relief. So really, thank you guys for reading and sticking around. It means a lot to me :)**

 **I know, I got real sappy there didn't I? Sorry about that, but I just wanted to get that off my back. Anyways, here's chapter 5 of the adventures of Cadence and Steve :D Hope you guys enjoy it!**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own Avengers or anything MARVEL!**

* * *

 **8 Months Pregnant…**

Steve was sitting on the couch in the entertainment room with the television playing _The Sound of Music._ Ever since his come-back to the 21st century, Steve had made it a habit to catch up on the times, and one of his favorite parts of playing catch up was watching all the films he had missed over the years.

But geez, were there a lot of them.

Because of that, he had asked the other Avengers, as well as Cadence, to give him a list of some of the classics to start off with.

He didn't know who had written it, but _The Sound of Music_ was one of the older ones scribbled down for him to look into and he wasn't regretting it. It was pretty good so far.

At one point during the movie, Steve had heard a shuffling noise from the staircase. Not thinking anything of it, Steve ignored the sound and continued to watch the movie as it had reached its anticipated climax. Five minutes later, however, Steve heard the same sound, this time a bit louder than before. He craned his neck to see what was making the sound, but didn't see anything on the bottom half of the stairs. The upper half was obscured from his view, so he assumed that whatever was making the noise was on the upper part of the staircase.

Steve paused the movie and listened for any other sounds. A minute or two passed by without any noise and Steve was just about to play the movie when he heard murmuring.

"Stupid belly…. knees… so difficult… ugh!"

Steve immediately relaxed. Shaking his head in amusement, he stood from his place on the couch and made his way over to the staircase.

"Refuse to take the elevator again?"

A pajama-clad Cadence looked up from her spot half-way down the first flight of stairs, only to be met with a smirking Steve.

"Don't laugh at me. I need the exercise," she spat out before continuing to waddle down the horrible, demon steps one careful footstep at a time.

Steve raised a brow, "Honey, how many times do I have to tell you this? You're pregnant, not fat. And didn't the doctor say to lighten up on the 'exercise' once you hit 7 months?"

Cadence stopped moving. She let out a small huff, "I know what he said. But this really isn't that bad. It's just a bit time consuming. I mean a) I can't see my feet, and b) every time I take a step, my knees hit the bottom of my stomach, so I have to be gentle."

"Why did you even take the stairs to begin with then?"

"I told you," she muttered, refusing to make eye contact, "I wanted some exercise."

Steve narrowed his eyes slightly at her obvious lie. "Cadence, you're lying."

"Am not," she denied stubbornly.

"Are too," he replied, playing into her childish nature.

"Am not."

"Are too."

"I am not lying Steve."

"I beg to differ Cadence."

"Well you're wrong."

"I don't think I am sweetheart."

Cadence sighed in frustration. She threw her hands in the air, knowing that she wasn't going to win at this game.

"Fine!" she exclaimed. She grabbed onto the railing for support before mumbling something under her breath.

"What was that? I couldn't hear you," Steve said, not able to pick up on the faint whisper that came out of her mouth.

She rolled her eyes, "I said, I heard you were watching _The Sound of Music_ and wanted to come down and watch it with you. But halfway down the first flight of stairs I realized that it was hard going down the stairs and I wanted to take the elevator instead."

Steve felt his eyes soften at what she had admitted, "So why didn't you just go back up and take the elevator instead?"

Her eyes narrowed into a glare as a red hue flushed her cheeks.

"I'm kind of stuck."

Steve's eyes widened. He felt warmth flood through him at the sight of his beautiful, pregnant wife, who looked more than extremely cute at the moment in her current predicament.

After running a hand through her hair, Steve had noticed that she was beginning to get a little more than frustrated. And if anybody had learned anything about Cadence during her pregnancy, it was that whenever she got frustrated, that was usually when the water-works began.

Steve felt himself tense at the thought of a crying Cadence and quickly moved up the large staircase to help her out.

"Come on," he said, picking her up carefully before making his way down the stairs with her.

She wrapped her arms around his neck as he made his way back into the entertainment room with her in his arms.

"I'm not too heavy, am I?" she asked, worried about inconveniencing her husband who was trying to enjoy his movie before she came down and probably ruined it for him.

Steve could practically feel her insecurities and quickly moved to squash them down. He placed her on the ground, waiting for her to gain her balance, before sitting down on the couch sideways so that Cadence had room to sit between his legs. Once he got in a good position, Steve looked up at the woman in front of him with a kind smile. He patted the space between his legs and allowed her to clamber into the spot, a bit awkwardly considering it was difficult for her to sit down in low areas due to her large baby bump.

Once she got comfortable, Steve wrapped his arms around her waist, leaving his big hands to sprawl out over her large stomach.

He pulled her close to him so that her back was right up against his chest and whispered in her ear.

"Of course you're not heavy. You're beautiful."

Cadence had instantly relaxed at the sound of Steve's soothing voice. Feeling the signs of stress leave her body, Cadence took in his words and smiled at how genuine they were.

"Thank you Steve."

He reached to place a loving kiss on her right temple.

"Anytime."

Around 45 minutes after Cadence joined him on the couch, the movie had ended. Steve yawned and looked at the clock under the television only to see that it was nearly midnight.

He was a bit surprised. He never really stays up past ten unless he had some business with work to take care of or was kept up by a nightmare. Although the nightmare thing hasn't really happened much since Cadence and him had gotten married…

"It was a good movie though," he admitted under his breath.

Looking down at the woman in his arms, he quickly realized that at some point in the past 45 minutes, Cadence had fallen to sleep. He took note of her slow, deep breaths as well the hand that she had placed on his chest lying right over his heart.

He smiled a smile that only Cadence was capable of provoking from him as he looked down at her perfect form.

Deciding that it wasn't worth it to wake her up, Steve grabbed one of the pillows he had carelessly thrown on the floor earlier, set it up behind her back for support so that she didn't have any problems throughout the night, and closed his eyes to fall to sleep.

A half an hour later, Tony had moved down to the entertainment room to see who was still up after noticing that the light was left on.

Once reaching the couch, he opened his mouth to speak, but quickly closed it once noticing who exactly it was who was passed out on the soft, suave material.

He smiled at the sight and pulled a light blanket over the couple curled up beside one another. He knew Capsicle didn't mind the cold, but it was Prego he was worried about.

On his way out, Tony flipped the lights off, leaving the room in semi-darkness before making his way back down to his lab.


	6. Chapter 6: Just Tired

**Here is chapter 6!**

 **Yes, it is here! In this chapter we got a little bit of Cadence and Bruce interaction. I honestly do not have much to say in this author's note, so please enjoy!**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own Avengers or Marvel!**

* * *

Bruce was standing at the island in the kitchen reading over a few of Tony's notes on a project the two of them had been working on when he heard the familiar shuffling of Cadence's slippers against the marble flooring. He lifted his eyes from his work to greet her with a small smile before going back to burying himself in the never-ending stack of notes he had piled on the counter.

The kitchen remained silent as Cadence made her way over to the refrigerator to pull out some ingredients for dinner.

Usually, dinner was eaten together in the dining room, as both Cadence and Pepper had wanted the dysfunctional Avengers family to act as such: a family. However, considering Bruce, Clint, Steve, and Cadence were the only people at the tower on this particular night, everybody decided to just fend for themselves.

Although, Bruce was somewhat surprised that it was Cadence in the room with him instead of Steve. A recent development that had arisen as Cadence entered her eighth month of pregnancy was fatigue. She has been spending a good portion of her last week sleeping or lying down in bed.

Bruce was too shy to admit it, but he had been a bit concerned for her ever since her sudden bed rest. He had hoped that nothing was wrong with her. It was on multiple occasions that he found himself forcing the nasty, medical thoughts out of his head as his mind managed to conjure up every single pregnancy complication it could possibly remember from his days as an out of country doctor.

He supposed that it was because of this that Bruce felt as if a small part of him could finally relax now that Cadence was up and moving around once again.

"Yo, what's up Prego."

Bruce looked up from his papers once again to notice that Clint had made his appearance. Cadence sighed in irritation at the nickname, but continued making her food none-the-less.

"Tony's got you doing it too now?" she snapped, annoyance clear in her voice.

Clint raised a brow, giving Bruce a 'what's-up-her-ass?' look. Bruce merely shrugged, setting his notes flat down on the counter to watch the scene that was about to unfold in front of him.

"Uh… sorry?" Clint tried, throwing his hands up in mock defense. "Is everything okay Cadence?"

"Of course," she replied bitterly. "Why wouldn't it be?"

Bruce and Clint shared another look.

"I don't know. You seem a bit… mad?" Clint replied, the end coming off as more of a question than a statement. He could already understand that the pregnant woman in front of him was clearly in a bad mood and at this point, he really did not want to make it any worse for himself.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?!" she exclaimed, spinning around on her feet to send daggers his way.

Clint's eyes widened.

' _I'm dead,'_ was all that ran through his mind as he mentally cringed under what might as well have been the devil's stare.

"U-uh. I-I don't know?"

This just seemed to light a whole new blazing inferno within the brunette's eyes.

"You don't know? You said it. Stop being such a little bitch and tell me what you meant," she said, her hand now resting threateningly on her hip.

"Um…" he trailed off, now looking towards Bruce, not questioningly, but pleadingly. He silently tried asking the doctor for help, but Bruce quickly avoided any and all eye contact with the archer in fear of getting himself dragged into Cadence's spontaneous mood spell.

"Uh," Clint continued on, trying to find an excuse for his slip up earlier. Not able to think of anything that could possibly save him in this situation, Clint sighed.

"Fuck it. Abort mission!"

Before Cadence had time to chew him out any farther, Clint had made a dead sprint for the elevator. Realizing that the elevator would be too slow of an escape route, however, he turned and made a bee-line for the stair case instead. He then quickly swiped his access card, before disappearing behind the door for good.

Both Bruce and Cadence stared off after Clint, Cadence with her mouth dropped in shock and Bruce with a surprised look on his face.

"D-did he just-"

Bruce shook his head.

"That's Clint for you."

He watched as Cadence closed her mouth and out a long, tired sigh. Bruce frowned. Now that he took a good look at her, Cadence really didn't look too great. The deep bags under her eyes displayed the lack of sleep she was getting, while her slumped posture showed how drained she was.

It was quiet for a few moments before Bruce decided to test his luck and hope for the best.

"Cadence?" he asked in his usually quiet voice.

She slowly turned her head towards the older man to give him her attention.

"Yes?"

She definitely sounded exhausted. Maybe he had been too quick to assume she was okay.

"Are you feeling alright?" he asked.

She sighed once again. Ignoring all of the food items she had pulled out of the fridge to make herself some dinner, she moved towards the counter he was standing at, pulled up a stool, and threw herself onto it. Her head immediately went into her folded arms.

Bruce's frown only seemed to deepen at this. He turned to face her, placing a comforting hand on her back in an attempt to offer some sort of support to one of the few people he could call his friend.

"What's wrong?" he asked softly.

"I just," she started, her voice cracking at the end. He heard her sniffle quietly before she continued, "I'm tired."

And then the dam broke.

She lifted her head to show a continuous stream of tears running down her face.

"I'm so tired Bruce. I haven't been able to get more than a couple of hours of sleep a night for the past week and the baby has been digging into my spine non-stop so everything just hurts. I hate being moody and I despise taking it out on you guys, because you don't deserve it at all. You guys have been nothing but helpful and kind to me ever since day one, but I just can't help it. I feel so bad. I just-"

She wasn't able to finish her sentence. A lump had formed in her throat and tears poured down her face until she was at the point where her tears had turned into full sobs.

Bruce was a bit taken back at how quickly the situation had escalated, but pushed that aside.

Well-aware that nothing he would say could possibly help her at the moment, Bruce pushed his uncomfortable fear aside and pulled her into a gentle hug.

She almost immediately reacted, turning into his embrace to wrap her arms around his waist. She buried her head into his chest and just cried.

Bruce was never really comfortable with being so close to somebody due to his… problem. However, he knew that Cadence needed somebody to just listen and be there for her right now and he was glad to do it. She had been there for the team through thick and thin, and there was no way in hell he was going to just leave her to cry alone in the kitchen.

Steve would probably kill him if he did that anyways.

They sat there for a good thirty minutes. The whole time, Cadence was crying into Bruce's shirt while he held her and rubbed soothing circles on her back for comfort.

Eventually, Cadence pulled away from their embrace to wipe the tears from her eyes. She then sniffled to clear up her nose so that she could speak properly.

"I'm sorry," she apologized, motioning towards the front of his shirt. "I kind of ruined your shirt."

Bruce looked down to see the wet spot on his shirt. He quickly brushed off her apology with a shake of the head.

"It's fine. Are you feeling a little better now?"

She nodded. A small smile worked at the edges of her lips.

"Yes, thank you."

Bruce smiled softly, "It's no problem. Why don't you go try to take a nap? I have a feeling that letting all of that frustration out will make it a bit easier for you to fall asleep. If not, try playing some soothing music. That always helps me."

"Okay," she whispered.

As Bruce was helping her out of the chair and onto her feet, Steve made his way through the door. He looked up from his phone, quickly noticing the other two people in the room.

"Hey, Bruce. Cadence, what are-"

He stopped mid-sentence.

"What's wrong? Why are you crying?" he asked in a hurried voice. He rushed over to the two, dropping his stuff carelessly on the table in the process. But that wasn't his main concern. His main concern at that moment was why his wife looked like she had just been sobbing her eyes out.

"I'm fine Steve," she assured him. Bruce managed to step out of the way before Steve had reached them, now watching everything quietly from the side. Steve held her out at arm's length and checked her over for any possible sign of injury or harm.

"Why do you look like you've been crying?" he asked gently after not finding any signs of damage.

She lazily shrugged, "I'm just tired. I'm going to go take a nap. I love you."

She gave him a sloppy kiss on the cheek before making her way towards the elevator.

"Love you too…" he trailed off as the elevator door closed.

Extremely confused as to what was going on, Steve looked at Bruce for some answers. The man had moved back to studying over his paperwork when he felt Steve's eyes land on him.

"She really is tired Steve. Just let her rest for a while."

Steve relaxed a bit, but remained a bit weary considering he still didn't know exactly what went on before he walked into the kitchen. However, Steve trusted Bruce to tell him if something was seriously wrong. Because of that, Steve had decided to just ask Cadence about it when she wakes up from her nap. Maybe he'd offer her a massage as well. She's seemed to be a bit stressed lately…


	7. Chapter 7: Best Friends

**Hey, hey, hey!**

 **Here's chapter 7 for you all! Unfortunately, I only have one more chapter pre-written and just realized this today so it looks like I'm going to have to start writing for this story again! Honestly, it's not that bad. I only plan to have two more chapters after the next so it shouldn't be too bad on me. I just have a major problem with procrastination so... yeah. I probably won't end up actually writing it until the Thursday after next.**

 **I need help.**

 **Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter! Bucky is back and with him comes Sam this time. I really loved the two's character dynamic in Civil War and funny enough, I wrote this before Civil War. I don't know. There was just always something about them that made me feel that if they ever met, they would have the sharing-a-best-friend rival type of relationship. I guess I was right!**

 **But anyways, enjoy the chapter! Please leave a review and let me know how it is. I wasn't too sure about the first half of this chapter while writing it so let me know what you think! :D**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own Marvel or the Avengers!**

* * *

 **8 and a Half Months Pregnant…**

"Having some issues there?"

Cadence looked up from her current struggle of trying to get her boots on to see Bucky standing over her with a wide smirk plastered across his face. Giving up on the act, Cadence leaned back on the couch and took a deep breath. She had been holding her breath for the past minute or so in an attempt at bending over far enough to pull her boots on.

She sighed and sent Bucky a look.

"Why is it that you always seek me out when I'm at my worst?"

He shrugged, "Isn't that always?"

He quickly ducked to avoid the boot thrown his way.

"Hey that's not nice."

Cadence rolled her eyes, "Oh, just shut up and come help me."

"I don't know," he started, grabbing her shoes but making no move to help her put them on. "You kind of hurt my feelings there. I mean, what did I ever do deserve a shoeing? That's just harsh."

"Bucky…"

Hearing the pleading tone in her voice, Bucky decided to give her a bit of mercy and moved in front of her to help her put her shoes on.

"Where are you going anyways? Isn't it a bit risky doing anything at this point?" he asked, concern edging into his voice.

"I'll be fine. I still have a half a month left until I really have to worry. But if you're that curious, then I'm going out with Steve to pick up some last minute baby-supplies."

His brows furrowed in confusion, "I thought you had everything you needed already?"

He finished zipping up both boots and held out a hand to help her off of her spot on the couch. Cadence gratefully accepted his hand, and got up on her feet before flicking him on the forehead.

"You can never have too many diapers."

She moved to step past him, leaving him to think about it for a second before he nodding in agreement.

"That makes sense."

"You want to come with us? We could always use more man power. Like I said, I need a lot more diapers," she suggested, making her way over to the kitchen.

Bucky followed, "Well, I'm just so booked today. I'll have to check my calendar."

She rolled her eyes at his sarcastic tone, "So is that a yes?"

He chuckled, "Sure."

"Great," She opened the fridge and grabbed a cold water bottle out to shove it into her purse. She walked back over to the elevator, picking her keys and phone up along the way. "JARVIS, can you please call Steve and Sam down and tell them I'm ready to go?"

"Of course Mrs. Rodgers."

Cadence jumped when she heard Bucky's loud groan from behind her.

"What?" she asked, noticing the annoyed look on his face.

"You didn't tell me Sam was coming."

She stared at him in disbelief, "Is there a problem with that?"

There was a moment of silence before he responded.

"No, I guess not," he sighed dejectedly.

Once again, Cadence rolled her eyes at Bucky's childish behavior. Knowing him for as long as he's been staying in the tower, she would have never thought that he would have had this type of side to him when he first arrived. He was always so quiet and distrusting, but for reasons that she couldn't really blame him for. However, he has definitely changed since he's been back with Steve and she can't help but feel proud of him for that.

The elevator suddenly opened to reveal Sam and Steve talking to each other. As soon as they stepped out and Sam and Bucky laid eyes on one another, however, the smiles wiped off both the men's faces.

"What's he doing here?" Sam asked with a poker-face.

"I asked the same thing," Bucky muttered.

"Bucky's coming with us," explained Cadence.

"What?!" Sam shouted. He quickly collected himself, however, at the glare Cadence was sending his way for being so unnecessarily loud.

"Guys, come on. Now is not the time to start this…" Steve tried interjecting.

"I didn't start anything. I was just standing here quietly when Sam-"

"Oh don't you even start with me. I'm sure you gave Cadence some shit before I got down here."

"Language! Guys, come on…"

"Hey!" Cadence shouted. Everyone turned to her with surprised expressions on their faces. "What the hell is going on?"

Steve decided to keep his mouth shut and let Cadence slide this time with the language considering he really didn't want to be the one to get on his wife's bad side. He had only ever seen that once and could safely say he never wanted to see it again.

Both men were silent.

"Steve? Care to explain?"

He sighed, rubbing his neck sheepishly, "They kind of have sort of a… friendly rivalry."

Bucky scoffed, "Sam's just jealous because I'm clearly number one."

"Um, excuse me. I don't think so."

"I've obviously known him longer than you."

"Yeah, but when you went ape-shit crazy it was _me_ who had to help him get your sorry ass under control."

"Lan-"

"Shut up Steve!" both men exclaimed in unison before going right back to arguing.

"We clearly have more history. Hell, I knew him way before he even turned into Popeye!"

"You're old news buddy, I'm newer and better."

Finally realizing what was going on, Cadence's scowl slowly transformed into a smile. She put a hand over her mouth to hold back the laughter threatening to slip through.

Steve shook his head at their argument, moving over to his wife who looked about two seconds away from busting into a fit of hysterics.

"Are you guys serious?"

Bucky and Sam stopped arguing to look over at Cadence who had lost control laughing. They gave her a similar look of confusion, which only managed to spark her on even more as she held a hand over her stomach in hysterics. Steve had to hold her up by her shoulders as she was nearly doubled over.

"What are you guys, five?" she asked once she started to calm down.

"What's that supposed to mean?" they both asked simultaneously.

"You guys are arguing over who's Steve's best friend? You do realize only over-emotional teenage girls do this right? Look, I'll tell you what I told my little cousins friends a couple of years ago. A person is capable of having more than one best friend. How about instead of arguing over who's the better best friend, you two just get along and stop aggravating the guy you're fighting over. Did you ever think that if you two got along, you could BOTH spend time together with Steve?"

Steve smirked as his friend's faces settled into pouts. He nodded in agreement, wrapping his arm around his wife's shoulders.

"She has a point."

"Now, Steve and I are going to go shopping while you two spend the day bonding. JARVIS, make sure to let me know if they aren't following my orders. See you guys later."

She grabbed Steve and yanked him over to the elevator, leaving the other two people in the room, looking after them in disbelief.

"W-wait, what?!"

"C'mon Cade, I thought you needed help…"

"And by the way," she started, turning momentarily to say what clearly needed to be said, "I'm Steve's number one. I'll leave that to sink in. Maybe you two can cry into each other's shoulders or something."

As soon as the elevator doors closed, Cadence leaned against the railing.

"There's definitely never a boring day here, is there?" she asked her husband. He chuckled and reached over to grab her hand.

"I would say not. Do you think they'll be okay though?"

"You worry too much Steve. They'll be fine, trust me. Now, I was thinking we ditch the whole shopping idea for today and go get some food instead."

"You just want an excuse to get some more Thai food," Steve smirked, looking down at his wife with a look of adoration in his eyes.

"So what if I am? So… Can we?" she asked, giving her best puppy dog look.

He leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on Cadence's temple, "Of course."

* * *

 ** _Meanwhile…_**

"D-did she just…"

"I think she did."

Both men stared off towards the elevator in shock.

"I feel so hurt," Bucky said.

"Same. I need a drink."

"At least drinks work for you…"


	8. Chapter 8: Insecurities

**It's time for the fluff!**

 **This chapter is solely Cadence and Steve, so you're welcome! But worry not! We shall have another Avenger joining us in the next chapter, so look forward to it ;D**

 **I hope you guys enjoy!**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own Marvel or Avengers!**

* * *

 **8 and a Half Months Pregnant…**

Cadence stared at herself in the mirror, taking in every single minute imperfection visible to the naked eye and amplifying them to the point where they were making her sick to look at.

She sighed.

Steve looked over at his wife when he heard her sigh for the umpteenth time that evening. They had been getting ready for some party Tony was hosting that evening and at some point while they were getting dressed, Cadence had gravitated towards the body-length mirror attached to their closet and was staring herself down with an intense gaze.

A frown grew on Steve's face as he continued to watch her just stare at herself. It was as if she were disgusted with what she was seeing in the mirror, and Steve didn't like that one bit. She had been like this lately: feeling insecure about herself. Everything, from the unnoticeable swelling in her fingers to the light stretch marks spread across the bottom of her large baby-bump, had her feeling as if she were the most hideous creature on the face of the planet.

Feeling the strong need to comfort his obviously troubled wife, Steve abandoned his shirt and tie and moved to approach Cadence instead. He swiftly walked up behind her and wrapped his arms tenderly around her big stomach, resting his hands near her bellybutton. He smiled when she didn't jump at his sudden appearance and nuzzled his chin into her shoulder.

"Everything okay honey?"

She sighed again, but still managed to give him a small smile in return for his very-much-welcomed affection.

"I guess… I just can't find anything to wear."

Steve's brows furrowed, "But I see plenty of things you can wear. What about that dress that you like? I think that looks beautiful on you."

Expecting to get a smile as a reward for helping her solve her issue, Steve was mildly disappointed when he only received a sad frown.

"What's wrong? Did I say something?" he asked, honestly not knowing if he had done or said something wrong.

She shook her head, "No. I actually really appreciate what you said. I just..."

Steve nodded encouragingly to get her to continue.

"I just- I guess I just feel really uncomfortable in my own skin lately. I feel so fat and disgusting. I hate it," she admitted weakly, ashamed for feeling the way she did. She knew she was pregnant, not fat, but that still didn't stop the feeling of insecurity from settling into her brain.

Steve's eyes softened.

"What exactly do you not like?"

"What?" Cadence asked, a questioning look on her face.

"What don't you like about yourself right now?" he asked again, wrapping his arms more tightly around his wife while making sure to be mindful of not squeezing too hard.

Cadence opened her mouth to reply, but then closed it again. She shook her head, "It's nothing. Never mind. I'll just wear the dress."

Steve, however, didn't give her a chance to run as he kept her pinned in his grip.

"No, no, no. I don't think so. Come on, tell me. What don't you like?"

She rolled her eyes at her husband's antics before giving in.

"Well," she started, blushing in embarrassment, "my wrists are really swollen and have gotten bigger lately-"

Before she could continue, Steve had turned her around in his arms and reached down to grab both of her wrists in his large hands. He kneeled down and gently brought her wrists up one at a time to his mouth, leaving a soft trail of kisses starting from the top of her wrist and ending right on her pulse underneath.

She stared down at him with wide eyes as he did this. Once he finished, he looked back up at her with a smile on his face.

"What else?"

She nearly stuttered over her words when she replied.

"Um, my arms are all sore and stuff. For no reason too. Just- yeah."

Steve chuckled and stood once again, trailing his hand lightly up Cadence's arm. He stopped at her elbow before he lifted her arm and did the same thing with his lips. Kissing up her arm, Cadence felt shivers travel down her spine.

After going up and down her arm once more, Steve kisses traveled down to her stomach. He placed both hands on either side and kissed right above her bellybutton with nothing but love and affection.

"You're so beautiful Cadence. I love you so much."

Cadence felt her cheeks flush bright red.

"I-I love you too idiot."

Steve chuckled, placing another quick kiss on her stomach before standing straight once again to look down into her eyes, "How about we stay in tonight."

Cadence's eyes widened.

"What? No, that would be rude. I'm fine now Steve, I swear," she insisted, waving her hands in the air to emphasize her words.

"Cadence," he stopped her, grabbing her wrists to stop her from flailing her arms anymore. "Really, it's not that big of a deal. I'm sure everybody would understand if you didn't show up. I honestly don't think they were expecting you anyways. And Tony will be too drunk to even notice."

Cadence thought this over for a few moments.

"Are you sure it's alright?" she asked him with wide eyes.

He smiled down at her, "Yes, it's alright. Why don't you go put something comfortable on and set up a movie? I'll call Nat and tell her to have Clint bring us some food, okay?"

She nodded. She watched as Steve moved to pull out his cell phone and make a quick call to Natasha. She felt a smile creep onto her face as she watched him, before she finally snapped herself out of it and moved to pull on a pair of sweats and one of Steve's old T-Shirts.

She quickly hopped into their large bed and started scrolling through the movie station, looking for something good to watch.

Finally settling on an old Disney classic, she scooted over as Steve slipped on his own pair of sweatpants and climbed into bed after her. He quickly got comfortable against the head-rest, allowing Cadence to curl up on his chest.

"Thank you Steve," Cadence mumbled under her breath as the movie began to play.

Steve placed a loving kiss on top of Cadence's head.

"It's my pleasure, love."


	9. Chapter 9: Remain Calm

_**!PLEASE READ!**_

 **Oh my gosh... I am so sorry...**

 **I was doing so well guys, and I'm sure you were loving it. But then all of a sudden *POOF* I'm gone for three weeks.**

 **I'm so ashamed of myself...**

 **But seriously, I am 100% so incredibly sorry! I've been so busy though and my life has been just one thing after another. First, it was family visiting, then it was summer projects I neglected to do until the last minute, then after that it was online classes I needed to complete so I could order the test before the deadline, and now school has just started for me.**

 **So yeah, I've been dying lately. But honestly, everything has calmed down A LOT now, so I should be posting the last chapter next week as per the usual once a week schedule. PLUS, I only took one AP class this year, so my school schedule shouldn't be absolute hell like it was last year.**

 **So yeah, point is I apologize.**

 **But here's chapter nine! I hope you guys like it. It honestly felt weird coming back to this story after such a long time of neglecting it, but I managed to get by. And yes, you read correctly: there will only be one more chapter left in this story! I know, crazy right?! It feels like just yesterday that I started posting this and now we're almost through. But yeah, it's happening.**

 **ALTHOUGH!**

 **I got an idea sent to me by via a lovely review from a fellow fanfic addict named Fire Dolphin here in the fanfiction community and I want to know what you guys think...**

 **Should I make a prequel to this? It could be a one-shot series similar to this but instead be about how Cadence and Steve met, their first date, their first fight, their wedding, her telling Steve she was pregnant, etc...** **Let me know in a review or PM me. ALSO, let me know if you have any suggestions for the prequel that you were curious about with their relationship because that would be a huge help!**

 **ANYWAYS! I'm sure you guys wanna get to the story now... Thank you for sticking around and waiting for the past few weeks. It really means a lot to me :D**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own Avengers or anything MARVEL!**

* * *

 **9 Months Pregnant…**

"Lady Cadence! It is so nice to see you again!"

Cadence jumped. The sudden presence of the loud, boisterous man in the kitchen had startled her.

"T-Thor… You scared me," she let out a breath, her hand over her rapidly beating heart.

The blonde god frowned at this, "I did not mean to frighten you Lady Cadence. I apologize deeply."

Cadence's eyes widened when he bowed. She had thought that she would be used to Thor and his Asgardian mannerisms by now, but they still managed to catch her off guard every now and then. This was one of those times.

Her cheeks flamed in embarrassment. She shook her head, "No Thor. It's fine. You don't have to bow like that."

His head rose at her nervous laughter. A boyish grin worked its way onto his face, causing her flushed face to turn into a pout. She knew that he knew that he was embarrassing her and she also knew that he was enjoying every second of it.

Heh, annoying gods…

Cadence shook her head before standing from the barstool on the other end of the kitchen. It took a bit of effort, but she had sat with the intension of getting up with ease so she was able to handle it on her own.

"It's great to see you again Thor. How long has it been now?"

Thor stood tall once again, "Almost two years now it seems. I tried to return sooner but-"

Thor suddenly stopped speaking. Confused, Cadence stopped moving towards him and raised a questioning brow.

"Is everything okay Thor?" she asked.

His eyes seemed to widen to the point of popping out of his skull.

"Lady Cadence—are you with child?!" he shouted.

Cadence winced as his loud voice echoed off what seemed like every wall in the large kitchen. Thor was always quite loud and everybody had learned to live with it however, so Cadence mentally shrugged the intensity of his voice off.

She looked at him and his wide, vibrant eyes that seemed to hold a child-like wonder to them.

"Oh," she said, looking down at her large stomach. She rested a hand over her baby-bump before sending a wide smile Thor's way. "I guess you were gone when it happened. But yes, I'm pregnant."

Thor gasped and wasted no time in placing Mjolnir down on the floor, no doubt leaving a crack in the expensive tile in the process, before rushing over to her side.

"Why are you still standing Lady Cadence?! Shouldn't you be resting? You look very far along and I am worried for your health as well as your child's. You should not overdo yourself."

Cadence found herself a bit shell-shocked. Here she was, watching the huge, strong, muscular god in front of her, that has fought in plenty of battles against creatures she probably couldn't even conjure up in the darkest depths of her imagination, turn into a blubbering mess as he panicked over her well-being like a mother hen.

Who knew Thor had this side to him?

If Cadence weren't so touched by the whole situation, she would have slipped her phone out of her pocket and recorded him for future black mail purposes.

"I'm fine Thor. But you are right, I'm nine months now. Actually it's quite funny…" she watched as Thor looked at her expectantly, waiting for her to finish her sentence to find out what was so 'funny'. "I'm actually two days past my due-date."

His jaw nearly dropped, "I am not aware of how Midgardian pregnancies work, so is that a bad thing Lady Cadence? Because it sounds like a bad thing."

She chuckled and shook her head, "No. Actually, the longer they stay in the more they can develop and the healthier they become. So it's actually a good thing."

She waited as Thor seemed to process this information. Finally, he snapped out of his stupor.

"I have missed so much while I was away. I need to visit more often."

Cadence laughed, "Yes you do. Now, come give me a hug, you big oaf. I missed you."

Thor let out a loud laugh, "As did I Lady Cadence."

He stepped over and wrapped his arms around her in what looked to be a bear hug. He pulled her into his chest plate in a firm hug, while also being careful of his strength as he did not want to harm his friend or the child that she carried inside of her.

Cadence sighed into the hug. Her and Thor hadn't always been close like they were now. In fact, due to his constant trips back and forth between Earth and Asgard, he didn't even met Cadence when she first arrived at the tower. He didn't meet her until her and Steve's wedding. It was funny because Cadence was actually really nervous that Thor wouldn't like her. It was always something that would bother her throughout her and Steve's relationship. She just really wanted the approval of Steve's friends as they were practically his family.

Thor was different though. He was a god, and she hadn't really met any other gods in her day, despite how much she would have loved to say she did. She felt so much pressure, and when she looks back on it now, she laughs her ass off at how stupid she was.

Thor, just like the rest of the Avengers, had welcomed her into the small, dysfunctional Avengers family with his arms wide open.

Her and Thor had become something close to siblings ever since then. However, it was not like the relationship she had with Clint in which they constantly bickered back and forth for hours on end like brother and sister while always knowing the other meant well and would look out for one another.

No, Thor was more like the loving, protective big brother she never had. He always kept an eye out for her and looked after her whenever he could.

So even though they weren't the closest they could be, he was still a part of her new family none-the-less and she was glad that she could finally see him again after such a long leave of absence.

After he released Cadence from his bear-hug, Thor turned to scour the kitchen for food.

A.K.A.—Poptarts.

Cadence suddenly winced when she felt a bit of discomfort flare up in her abdomen. She moved to sit down on one of the stools on the bar, waiting for the small pain to disappear. She didn't think anything of it as she began to catch up with Thor.

"So, not that I'm not happy to see you Thor, but why did you come back?"

"Well, I was told by Heimdall that something important would be happening here soon and that I should take that as my opportunity to come and visit. He didn't say what, but I can now assume that he was referring to you being with child. I don't know if I have said this yet Lady Cadence, but congratulations!"

Cadence smiled, "Thank you Thor."

"By the way," he started, taking a huge bite out of the processed, sugar-filled pastry he held in his hand before seeming to just give up on the attempted manners and swallow it whole. Once all remnants of the cinnamon treat were cleared from his mouth, he continued, "Where is the father to be?"

"Oh, he's sleeping. Everyone is probably sleeping right now."

Cadence thought about it for a second.

"Well, except for Tony, but he never sleeps."

Thor nodded, "It is quite late after all. May I ask why you are awake at such an hour?"

She frowned, "I couldn't sleep. It's weird, I just started regaining the ability to sleep and all of a sudden I woke up a few hours ago with annoying cramps. Laying down on them just hurt too much so I decided to come down here and make myself some tea."

She looked down at the empty mug in front of her and sighed.

"I thought it would help put me to sleep but I still feel wide awake. God, I hate being pregnant sometimes. It messes me up so badly."

Thor chuckled as he scooped up all of the Poptart wrappers into his hand to throw in the trash, "It is all worth it in the end Lady Cadence. Just think about it. Soon you will have a small piece of both you and Steve to hold in your arms and cherish for the rest of your life."

Cadence huffed out a short breath, "Since when did you become so philosophical? You're not going all Mufasa on me now, are you?"

Thor tilted his head, "I do not understand what you mean. Who is this Mufasa you speak of?"

Cadence sighed, "Never mind Thor."

Thor shrugged his shoulders and opened one of the cabinets to grab another box of Poptarts. Honestly, Cadence didn't know how he could eat so many of those. She understood he had the metabolism of a god, but one of those things was like a meal in its own with how much crap was jam-packed into them.

She shook her head in amusement before standing to put her mug in the sink.

She ran the Captain America mug under warm water and bent over as much as she could to open the dishwasher when a sharp pain raced up her spine.

She sucked in a sharp gasp of breath between her teeth and reached to clench her abdomen.

Thor quickly whipped around to face her at the sound of her discomfort. He made his way over to her in a couple of steps and placed a concerned hand gently on her back.

"Lady Cadence? What is wrong? Are you hurt?"

Cadence released the breath she took in with a long, shaky sigh, "No, I'm fine. Just a bit of pain, but I'm okay."

The god's brows furrowed in concern, "Are you sure? That didn't sound like you were okay. Should I go get Doctor Banner or Steve?"

She took a moment to collect herself before she was able to straighten out again, "No Thor, it's fine. Really, I'm alri-"

She froze when she felt a sensation she REALLY didn't want to feel at the moment.

Water.

Dripping down her leg.

'Perfect timing,' she thought to herself calmly. She had always thought that this would be a more eventful thing. After all, it is always made out to be that way in movies and books. And she thought that there was supposed to be some sort of pain to come along with it. But there was absolutely none of that. Nothing at-

"Holy mother of god!"

She gasped at the sudden spike of pain that shot from her uterus all the way up her spine and down her limbs.

She was wrong. She was way wrong.

"Cadence! What happened?"

She took deep breaths as she waited for the pain to pass. It slowly ebbed away as the seconds ticked by. "Thor, I need to tell you something but I'm going to need you to remain calm. Can you do that for me?"

Thor's head nodded rapidly, "Of course. Now please tell me what is causing you so much pain?"

"The baby is coming."

She never thought that anybody, much less a god's, face could turn such a unique shade of white and green.

She wanted to wince at the look of horror he was sending her, "Thor. Seriously, I need you to stay calm and go get Ste-"

"DON'T WORRY LADY CADENCE! WHERE ARE YOUR MIDWIVES?! NEVER MIND, I SHALL DELIVER YOU AND YOUR CHILD TO THE CLOSEST HEALING CENTER AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE!"

Cadence's eyes widened in shock, "No, Thor please-"

Before she could get another word in, she was suddenly whisked off her feet.

"Thor!" she squealed. "Thor, I'll be fine! Calm down!"

Her words seemed to go in one ear and out the other, however, and soon enough, the two were off. Cadence gasped when Thor rushed out of the building with her in his arms, making sure to hold onto his neck tightly as he ran through the city.

'Well,' she thought to herself, 'That could have gone more smoothly… At least I'll have a good story to tell now.'

Suddenly, Cadence remembered a very important piece of information that had seemed to slipped right past her in all the chaos surrounding her water breaking.

"Nobody told Steve!"


	10. Chapter 10: Little Rogers

**I swear guys, it seems like every time I promise to have something posted by a specific date, something happens to keep me from that promise. It's so frustrating...**

 **Anyways, yes, I have been gone for a couple of weeks. Honestly though, if it were just school I would have posted. But last week, I got extremely sick and even ended up in the ER after passing out...**

 **So yeah. It's been an exciting week. And because of all that, I have missed four days of school. So basically, I'm completely screwed. But whatever, right?**

 **Sigh.**

 **Anywho, HERE IT IS! IT'S THE LAST CHAPTER! WHOOOO! Wow, it feels so weird to say this and I can easily say this every time I finish a story. But holy damn, we've come so far guys! I would like to thank everybody who has stuck with me through this story from the beginning, and even more recently. Thank you guys so much for reading and leaving all of the wonderful reviews! I really enjoy reading them and hearing your feedback. It may not seem like a lot, but it really does mean the world to me.**

 **So again, thank you.**

 **Now, about the prequel... I think I am going to write it, but if I do, it either won't be out for quite a while, or the chapters will be really spread apart in terms of uploading them. I haven't written anything for it yet and since I am pretty busy with school right now, I am not quite sure when I'll have time to write. But I really want to make this prequel because it sounds like a really good idea and seems like it will be a lot of fun to write. So the POINT IS: just keep an eye out for alerts from me to see when I do end up posting the new story, because I honestly have no idea when it will be...**

 **Now, on with the last chapter! I'm pretty sure that this is the longest chapter I've written for this story, and that's for a good reason, so I hope you guys enjoy!**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own Marvel or the Avengers.**

* * *

"Sir?"

The speakers blasting AC/DC throughout the large room suddenly cut off, leaving Tony to groan in frustration. He looked up from the microscope in front of him and leaned back in his seat with a large, dramatic sigh.

"What is it JARVIS? If you hadn't noticed, I'm kind of in the middle of something very important," he swiveled his rolling chair across the floor and stopped in front of a large desk cluttered with various tools. "You know, inventing, saving the world, the usual."

"Sir, I was told that if anything were to have happened regarding Mrs. Rogers condition that I were to contact you right away."

Tony froze and stiffened, "Cadence? What happened?"

Before he had the chance to panic, the A.I. spoke up.

"It seems that Mrs. Rogers has gone into labor sir."

Tony's eyes bugged as he practically jumped out of his seat, "What?!"

"Yes, she-"

"Where is she right now JARVIS?! Is she okay? Is she with Steve right now, or did something happen?"

"Sir-"

Tony rushed around the lab, yanking his dirt and oil covered shirt off of his body and throwing on the closest clean article of clothing he owned, "Did something happen? Where is she JARVIS?"

"Sir, please calm down."

Tony stopped for a moment and took a deep breath to collect himself. After a couple of deep breaths, he tried again.

"JARVIS? Where is Cadence right now?" he asked in a more collected tone.

"It would appear that Mrs. Rogers is not in the tower sir."

Tony nearly felt his stomach sink.

"What do you mean she isn't in the tower? It's 3:30 in the morning," he said slowly, trying his very hardest not to freak out and possibly have a panic attack. Cadence was like the little sister Tony never had. He cared a lot about her, and by default, her child and her husband as well. He didn't know why or how the very pregnant woman left the tower at 3:30 A.M. on a Wednesday morning, but his mind had already conjured up all of the worst case-scenarios and then some in regards to what could have happened to her.

"Please refrain from panicking before you injure yourself sir. Mrs. Rogers was in very little danger when she left."

The words went in one ear and out the other.

"Little danger…" he repeated to himself in a worried confusion.

"Also, might I add that she was with Mr. Odinson."

Wait, what?

"Point Break? When did he get back, and why was she with him?" he quickly jogged out of the lab and towards the elevator. He hit the Rogers' floor and tapped his foot impatiently as he awaited an answer.

"Mr. Odinson arrived no more than an hour ago and was the only person present and available when Mrs. Rogers went into labor. Sir, I don't think he took the news very well. If you would like to know about her current whereabouts, I would suggest going to the closest hospital as that is most likely where Mr. Odinson took her."

Tony probably would have been laughing his ass off right about now if the situation weren't so serious. Because honestly, he could bet all of his money when he says he knows exactly how the mighty god of thunder reacted when his dear Cadence went into labor.

And that thought alone brought a smirk to his face.

"God," he mumbled to himself. "Capsicle's gonna flip."

* * *

Steve vaguely heard the elevator on their floor making noise. He knew he should probably wonder who was moving about this late at night, especially on their floor, but he just figured that it was Cadence getting up for a drink or something and ignored it.

After all, why else would his beautiful wife not be lying beside him in their bed at such an early hour of the morning?

When he heard his bedroom door slam open, however, he knew that it wasn't his wife.

He also knew that something was definitely not right.

He sat up in bed and looked over to the door to see Tony standing in the doorway. He looked like he had run here: slightly out of breath with a panic-stricken look plastered across his face.

All traces of sleep were immediately gone from his deceivingly youthful features, "What's wrong?"

"Okay, look Steve…"

Steve's eyes narrowed into slits. Tony almost never called him by his name.

"What?"

Tony let out a sigh, "I need you to stay calm when I tell you this, okay?"

Steve felt a pit begin forming in his stomach at those words, "What is it Tony?"

Tony hesitated before simply deciding to treat it like a Band-Aid, "Cadence went into labor."

There had never been a time in Steve's life where he actually felt time stop until now. Everything around him came to a screeching halt and he could have sworn his heart skipped more than a few beats as he processed what he had been told.

"Capsicle? Oh god, I think I broke him…"

Steve couldn't move. He couldn't speak. All that ran through his mind were those four words.

Cadence went into labor… she went into-

"Cadence went into labor!"

He faintly realized that Tony was still in the room when the man jumped at his sudden outburst. None of that mattered to him at the moment, however. All that he cared about was the fact that his pregnant wife was about to have their baby and he wasn't there to-

Wait.

Steve suddenly stopped moving. He turned back to Tony, who was standing in the doorway of the room, looking at Steve with a partially worried, but mostly amused expression on his face. Somewhere in the back of his head he figured that it was the image of him standing there in nothing but sweats with a baby bag slung over one shoulder and a larger duffel bag over the other that was responsible for the smirk plastered on the billionaire's face, but he was ignoring that at the moment.

"Tony, where is Cadence? Is she downstairs? Did you call an ambulance?"

Tony sucked in a sharp breath. "Yeah, about that…"

Steve really didn't like where this was going.

"Anthony," Tony's eyes widened a bit at the intensity behind the super-soldier's voice. Never had he heard him speak in such a tone, and using his full name none-the-less. "Where is she?"

Tony rubbed a sheepish hand over the back of his neck. He briefly thought it over and finally decided to just do as he did before and treat it like a Band-Aid.

"Thor panicked and flew her to the hospital."

He cringed at the look he was receiving from the blond man in front of him. The only time Tony could possibly imagine Steve being any paler than he was in that moment was when he was frozen in the ice.

Because damn did the man look pale.

And a bit green, but Tony decided to look past that detail.

Before Tony had the chance to get so much as another word in, Steve had launched out of the bedroom and down the stairs, completely disregarding the elevator.

Tony closed his mouth as what he was about to say died on his tongue. He let out a sigh and began making his way down to his garage.

"JARVIS?"

"Yes sir?"

"Wake everybody up and let them know what's going on. And before Steve makes it out of the building, give him directions to the nearest hospital."

"Is that all sir?"

"Yep," Tony leaned back against the elevator as the doors slid shut. While he waited for the elevator to bring him towards the lowest level of the tower, Tony chuckled as he realized something.

"The media's going to have a field day with this. Jeez Capsicle, you could have at least put on a shirt and shoes."

* * *

Steve rushed through the front doors of the hospital that JARVIS had told him to go to. He looked around frantically for a nurse, but couldn't seem to find one. He ran up to the front counter and extended his neck to see if he could spot anyone in the back.

"Hello?!" he asked, hoping that somebody would come and help him. The waiting room was completely empty with not a soul in sight, which only seemed to add to the anxiety building in the pit of Steve's stomach as he tapped his foot impatiently.

After what felt like a life-time of no service, the super-soldier was just about ready to hop over the counter and find his wife himself when a woman suddenly appeared.

She smiled widely at him, "Hello sir, how may I help you?"

Steve sighed in relief, "Yes, I think my wife was admitted here. She's pregnant and went into labor."

The woman nodded. She began to shuffle through some paperwork and it took her what felt like years to Steve to finally find whatever she was looking for.

"Okay, what's your wife's name sir?"

"Cadence Rogers."

Steve didn't seem to notice the woman tense at the name. Her eyes widened as she suddenly became flustered.

"Oh, r-right this way sir. I was told to bring you in as soon as you got here."

Steve had never really enjoyed that fact that he was so easily recognized out on the streets as he was never one for having all eyes on him. Today, however, he couldn't be more grateful for the popularity that came with being a superhero. Anything to get him to Cadence's side faster…

He followed the nurse, wringing his wrists in anticipation. He really hoped that everything was alright. Some would probably be angry with Thor for what he did, but Steve honestly couldn't have been more grateful. The god had quickly gotten his wife and child into safe hands and that was all that mattered.

He would just choose to ignore the whole flying her there via Mjolnir.

"She's right at the end of the hallway, room 312."

Steve snapped out of his thoughts at the dainty voice of the nurse. He nodded and let out a quick 'thanks', barely giving her a second glance before he rushed off towards room 312.

As he reached to open the door, his breath hitched when he heard Cadence's voice. Only instead of the soft, calming tone he had grown to love, her voice sounded hard and pained. He faintly heard her begin to curse out whomever she was in the room with when he decided to intervene.

As soon as he stepped inside, however, he almost wished he hadn't.

"What the fuck do you mean you can't- Who the fuck are you?! You can't be my doctor because my doctor isn't a fucking moron!"

"Ma'am… I'm sorry but the specialist-"

"Specialist my ass! How hard is it to shove a needle in my back?!"

"Ma'am-"

"STOP CALLING ME MA'AM YOU INCOMPETENT ASS WIPE!"

Steve's mouth nearly dropped at the scene he had walked in on. On the bed in the center of the room was a hospital-gown-clad Cadence. She already looked completely exhausted with her head leaned back against the hospital bed and her hair stuck to her face with sweat.

Across from her was the doctor that they had been seeing ever since the beginning of the pregnancy. Steve was admittedly a bit surprised that the woman was able to make it to this location so quickly as the office she usually worked at was a good fifteen minutes away.

He wasn't going to question it though. If anything, he's grateful that there weren't any issues to worry about.

"Um, what's going on here?" Steve asked, finally making the decision to speak up and voice his confusion.

Cadence's head snapped towards the sound of his voice, and her whole demeanor seemed to perk at the presence of her husband.

"Steve!" she let out a huge sigh of relief before sending a wide smile his way. "You came…"

Steve's eyes softened. He walked over to Cadence's side and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. He let out a small sigh of relief, pleased that he was finally able to be by his wife's side and that nothing happened while he was not with her.

"Of course I am," he said reassuringly. He placed a kiss on her head before turning back to the doctor. "I'm sorry I'm late. Mind filling me in on what's going on?"

The doctor cleared her throat, "Well, you see Mr. Rogers-"

"This piece of shi-" Cadence was suddenly cut off from her insult by a violent contraction. She gasped in pain, grabbing onto Steve's arm in a vice grip in the process.

Steve barely felt the pain, however, as all he was currently concerned with was his wife and her needs at the moment.

"Cadence? What's wrong?"

Cadence remained silent with her face bunched up in severe discomfort. The doctor saw this and stepped in to respond to him.

"She's going through contractions right now, Mr. Rogers."

Steve nodded, mentally thanking all of the pregnancy books he was able to find and read before their due date for teaching him about all of this. Because god knows he would be completely lost right now if it weren't for those books. He is by no means an expert in the field, but at least he knows something now.

"Do you know how much longer it should be until she delivers?" he asked the woman while taking his wife's hand into his to give her something stable to hold onto.

"Well," the doctor started, "she is really close and should be delivering within the hour. This is why I am telling her she cannot get the epidural. The specialist who does the epidural would take at least two hours to get here if we called him now, so it would be pointless to do so as by the time he gets here, you two should already be holding your child in your arms."

Steve nodded along, finally realizing what his wife was so upset about. He read a lot about how painful birth was, even though he really didn't even need to read about it to know. He had figured it out on his own long, long ago. Steve had always held a higher level of respect for mothers for the sole reason of childbirth, because goodness did that look painful.

And Cadence was about to do it completely naturally.

Steve would be lying if he said he wasn't at least a little bit concerned.

"Steve," Cadence breathed deeply as the wave of contractions finally died down. "I'm really worried. It's already so painful and I'm not even delivering yet."

"Hey," he stroked a loose strand of sweat-covered hair away from her face. He sent her a warm smile as he sat down on the chair beside the bed. "You'll do just fine. I know you can do it Cadence, and the doctor is right. It would be a wasted trip for the specialist if we called him now. Everything will be alright."

Cadence leaned into his touch. Steve's smile softened when he saw her face relax. He leaned in and peppered kisses over her face, making sure to include her cheeks, nose, forehead, and lastly, he pecked her sweetly on the lips.

She smiled tiredly, "Thank you, Steve."

Steve hummed in response, "I'll be right by your side the whole time, okay? Everything will be fine."

She nodded, leaving the two to bask in each other's presence for a few moments.

The nurse suddenly cleared her throat to remind the two that she was still in the room, "I need to go check on some other patients. I'll be back in to check on you in about thirty minutes, okay? If something happens before then, please just use the emergency button on the side of the bed."

She swiftly ducked out of the room after that. Cadence had been a bit worried that she had offended the woman with some of the things she had said to her, but Steve had assured her that there was no way she took offense to it and that she had probably heard much worse before, as it was quite normal for laboring women to be more than a bit moody.

After getting settled down from her next contraction, Cadence leaned against the back of the hospital bed in exhaustion. She felt Steve's fingers tracing patterns on her hand and had to wonder where she would be if Steve weren't there right then with her.

One thing she knew for a fact was that she would not in any way be able to get through this without him by her side. He had always been what held her together and she didn't even want to think about what things would be like for her without him in her life.

"Steve," she whispered.

Steve lifted her hand and placed a soft kiss on her knuckles, "Yes, sweetheart?"

Cadence smiled at the name, "I love you."

Steve sent a blinding smile right back at her, "I love you too."

* * *

"So, the time has finally come Prego."

Cadence and Steve simultaneously rolled their eyes when the familiar voice drifted into the room.

"Who let you in here?" Cadence asked sarcastically. Tony gasped dramatically, throwing a hand over his chest in emphasis.

"I am wounded by those vile words of yours Cadence! And to think, I nearly had a heart attack worrying over your well-being. Well, at least now I know where I stand in this relationship…"

Steve's straight-face twisted as he rose a brow, "Enough with the theatrics Tony."

The billionaire rolled his eyes, "You guys are no fun, I swear."

Pushing himself off of his position against the doorframe, Tony strutted into the room like he owned the place. He took a quick look around before grabbing a chair from the corner and pulling it beside the bed. Cadence and Steve gave him similar looks of slight disbelief, but truthfully they weren't that surprised. After all, they knew Tony and were no strangers to his cocky, arrogant behavior.

"My god this food tastes awful," he said in disgust before throwing the snack that had been brought in for Cadence into the trash can. The woman sent him a small glare while her husband just sighed with a shake of the head. "Seriously, you should be thanking me for that."

"What's up Tony?" Steve asked, voicing the question that both him and his wife were wondering. They didn't have anything against the genius man or anything, they were just curious as to why he was in the hospital room. Steve probably would have wondered how he got in to begin with, but he already knew the answer to that question:

He's Tony Stark, and that's all that needed to be said.

"I'm sorry, is there something wrong with me wanting to check up on my sister from another mister and her child?"

Their blank stares gave him all the answer he needed.

"Alright, alright! Geez, you guys are so moody. I just wanted to let you know that everybody is in the lobby waiting for the arrival of their niece or nephew. Mr. Potato Arm was on a mission, but I called him and he's on his way now. Said he was wrapping it up."

Steve nodded. Cadence, on the other hand, raised a sarcastic brow, "Niece or nephew? Who named you an uncle? If anything, you'd be lucky enough to pull off a grandfather."

"Okay now, that's just cruel. And Capsicle's way older than me, so you can't even pull that card!"

"Don't drag me into this," Steve mentioned.

Cadence gasped, pulling both of the men in the room's attention to her. Steve rushed to grab her hand, whispering sweet nothings into her ear as she worked through another contraction. This time was different, however, as the contraction didn't seem to end.

Before Steve had time to question what was going on, Cadence had quickly dropped his hand and frantically pressed the help button on the side of the bed.

"Cade, what's going on?"

"It's happening Steve," she breathed deeply, sweat dripping down her face.

Both Steve and Tony's faces paled at that statement.

"Like, right now?" Steve asked.

She only nodded, taking big gulps of air in through her nose before releasing it shakily through her mouth.

"Well," Tony stood quickly, nearly knocking over the chair in the process. "I'm uh, just gonna head out now. See ya when the kid's here Prego, Capsicle."

On his way out, Tony passed the doctor who had rushed in at the call of the emergency button.

"Is everything okay Mrs- Oh. I guess it's time then, isn't it?"

Once again, Cadence nodded frantically. "Not to sound ungrateful, because trust me, I couldn't be more thankful for my beautiful child being brought into this world, but if you don't get this baby out of me within the next few minutes, I can promise you I'll snap your fucking neck before you have a chance to even scream."

Both the doctor and Steve were shocked, not only by the severity of those words, but also by the fact that she had managed to get the whole threat out in one breath before another heavy contraction had her throwing her head back in pain.

"You've got yourself quite the lady there Mr. Rogers," the doctor swallowed thickly with a strained smile.

He chuckled sheepishly, "Yeah, we try not to get on her bad side."

Steve was brought back to the situation at hand when he felt Cadence reach out for him. She clutched onto the hand closest to her like it was her lifeline, looking into his eyes to find comfort in her husband's loving, caring, compassionate gaze that, in that moment, seemed to belong to nothing else but her.

"We're having our baby Steve…" she smiled widely at him, despite the mass amount of excruciating pain she was in. Steve returned the smile as his gaze softened. He leaned down and kissed his wife gently on the forehead, her hand gripped firmly in his own as he practically radiated his love for her.

"Yeah," he chuckled as her words truly sunk in for what seemed like the first time in the past nine months. "Yeah we are."

* * *

"Cadence Rogers?"

The few people left in the waiting room at the early hour of the morning jumped in their seats when the group of intimidating individuals stood simultaneously at the name that was called. After all, it wasn't often that you saw the Avengers sitting in the maternity ward of the local hospital with worried looks on their faces.

Bucky was the first to respond, "Is everything okay?"

The nurse nodded with a polite smile, "Of course. I just wanted to let you know that you can go back and see them now if you'd like."

The group nodded in unison before they followed after the petite woman.

The room was quiet from the outside. As soon as they opened the door and stepped inside the large hospital room, however, they understood why.

"Hey guys," a sweat-covered Cadence greeted them all with an exhausted, yet dopey grin. "Come in and meet your niece."

They all moved forward. Bruce, Natasha, and Clint remained near the door, all three being perfectly content with watching from a distance. Bucky, on the other hand, was the first to reach the bed.

He stood beside Steve and looked down at the little bundle of pink in his arms. His face lit up in one of the most genuine smiles he's given in quite a long time as he looked down into the eyes of his absolutely adorable niece. Never did he think that there would come a day where he or Steve would have a child of their own, a family of their own. And although he had found a family in the Avengers, and Cadence as well, seeing the little bundle of innocence staring up at her mother and father like they were her whole world, because they were, gave him a new sense of hope. It gave him hope that even though things were bad in the past, he still had a bright future to look forward to.

And maybe one day, even if it might not be anytime soon, he could have a family like this as well.

"What's her name?" he asked, scooting closer to the bed as Tony and Thor crowded in to get a closer look at the new addition to the Avengers family.

Cadence and Steve shared a smile before Steve answered, "Guys, say hello to Carter Marie Rogers."

Everybody smiled at the name, even Natasha surprisingly enough. Bucky, however, was the first to make the connection. He clapped a hand on his best friend's back, taking mind of the child in said man's arms.

"Congratulations Punk. I'm happy for you."

"Yes, we all are! I send you the best of wishes from Asgard and I hope your lives together as a family are swell!" Thor exclaimed in excitement.

Everybody cringed at the intensity of his voice, but surprisingly enough, Carter had remained completely undisturbed by the god's unnecessary volume. In fact, the only sign the newborn showed in terms of acknowledging his presence at all was a slight turn of the head in his direction.

"Huh, would you look at that," Tony snarkily started, "Looks like Mini-Cap is immune to loudness. Thank god for that. I mean, she is living with the Avengers after all."

"Not to mention Cadence…"

"I'm sorry, what was that Clint?" Cadence raised a brow at the man standing across the room.

He cleared his throat, "Oh, uh- nothing. Just clearing my throat."

She rolled her eyes, "Sure."

"So, uh…" Bucky trailed off, shifting slightly on his feet. "Can I… hold her?"

Cadence smiled gently at his behavior. Seeing him this nervous over something so simple was, straight up, the most heartwarming thing she's ever seen. She nodded and motioned for Steve to hand their daughter over to the anxious man. He was slightly reluctant at first, but caved once he saw the look on his best friend's face. After giving quick instructions on how to properly support a baby's head, he gently placed Carter into Bucky's arms.

The look on the man's face was priceless as he stared down at the little girl with complete adoration. Steve looked at Cadence, who nodded before opening her mouth to speak.

"So Bucky, we were wondering…"

Bucky looked up briefly, only taking his eyes off of his niece for a brief second to show Cadence he was listening to her.

"Would you like to be her Godfather?" Steve finished.

Bucky's eyes widened as he stared his two best friends in shock, "Are you serious?"

"Of course," Cadence smiled, leaning into Steve's side as he slid an arm around her shoulders.

He nodded, "O-of course. Yes, that would be… yeah."

The face-splitting grin that he gave them was more than enough to tell them that they had made the right decision.

"Oh, and Natasha? We would like for you to be the Godmother," Cadence said. Said woman was slightly thrown for a loop, so much so that her face briefly slipped into that of shock and confusion before she was able to collect herself.

"I would love to," she responded, her lips turning into the biggest smile anybody has ever seen from her.

Cadence knew a little bit about her past from what the red-headed woman has told her and she knew that this would mean a lot to her. She was really happy that Natasha could feel a little bit of happiness after everything she's been through.

"Don't get ahead of yourself Metallica. You may be the Godfather, but I'm going to be the favorite uncle. Just you wait."

"Don't you mean favorite grandfather Tony?" Cadence asked innocently. Bucky smirked at the remark, as well as Natasha and Clint while Steve, Bruce, and Thor chuckled in amusement.

"Not cool Kay. Not cool…"

They all continued to chat as Carter was passed from one person to another. Cadence and Steve had to admit that they were quite surprised with how quiet and calm their daughter was throughout it all. They were sure that seeing all the new faces would make her at least a little fussy, but it seems like she has already adjusted to everything and was completely chill with what was going on.

After Natasha had her turn, Cadence had realized something, "Bruce, your turn."

He tensed, before shaking his head, "No. That's fine…"

As much as she sympathized with the poor man and knew where he was coming from, that answer just simply wasn't going to fly with Cadence. She shook her head, "Come on Bruce. You won't hurt her, trust me. You have nothing to worry about."

He didn't move at first. After a few moments, he hesitantly made his way over to the bed from his corner of the room. "Look, I really-"

"Natasha, hand her over to Bruce. You can hold her more later."

The woman nodded before turning to place the baby girl in Bruce's arms. The, what Cadence liked to call, Baby Effects were almost instantaneous with Bruce. As soon as Carter was secured in his grip, his whole demeanor instantly softened. It seemed that just staring into those wide, innocent, brown eyes sent a wave of calmness and serenity over him.

"See? I think she likes you Bruce," Steve pointed out, noticing how his little girl began dozing off in the scientist's arms: something she hadn't shown any signs of doing since she had been placed into her mother's arms for the first time.

"What's this Bruce?" Tony whispered in mock shock.

"What?" he asked, his voice only serving to knock Carter out like a light.

"Who knew that on top of being a world-renown scientist, gamma-radiation specialist, and giant green monster, Bruce would also be a baby whisperer."

Clint scoffed and Natasha and Bucky laughed while Thor had just managed to remain completely confused as to what was so special about whispering to babies.

"I guess we got a new nickname for ya Science-Buddy."

Bruce shook his head with an amused eye roll. After a few more minutes of holding Carter, Bruce handed her back over to her mother, who was extremely grateful that he had gotten her to pass out so that she didn't have to.

"Thanks Bruce," she whispered.

He gave her a small smile, "No problem Cadence."

"Alright guys, I think it's time for everybody to head out. Cadence here really needs some rest," Steve stood.

Everybody agreed with plans of visiting again in the morning and soon enough, the room was empty with the exception of the new family of three.

Steve had made his way over to the two most important girls in his life with a proud grin on his face. He grabbed his precious daughter in his arms and placed her in the crib the hospital provided for them before crawling into the hospital bed next to his wife. She scooted over to allow him access and cuddled into his side once he got comfortable.

Steve wrapped his arms around his wife while she got situated against him. He placed kisses gently across her face before giving her a quick kiss on the temple, "I love you so much Cade. You and Carter."

She smiled into his neck, "I love you too Steve."

When the nurse came in thirty minutes later to check on the new family, she had immediately turned and left with a big smile on her face at the sight of Captain America and his wife curled up in the hospital bed together with their child resting peacefully beside them.


End file.
